Polk County Man Calls 911 on Himself

A man who was allegedly under the influence called 911 on himself as he was driving.

(Published Friday, Jan. 5, 2018)

A Florida man called 911 on New Year's Eve to report a drunken driver: himself.

Michael Lester, 39, was arrested on a DUI charge after authorities in Polk County say he called to request that he be pulled over.

"I'm too drunk. I don't know where I'm at," Lester told a 911 operator who was trying to determine his location, according to a 911 call.

Lester, of Winter Haven, told the dispatcher that he was driving on the wrong side of the road, officials said. The dispatcher repeatedly asked him to pull over and at one point asked where he'd been all night.

Authorities say Lester was stopped before anyone got hurt. He told a deputy he'd had only two beers, then said he'd had more like three or four, then added that he'd swallowed meth earlier, officials said.

Lester was taken into custody and charged with DUI, and cited for driving on the wrong side of the road, improper use of the center lane and no seat belt.

"Please folks, let this be a lesson to you that DUI is bad-bad-bad, because unfortunately, Michael is having a hard time learning this lesson," the sheriff's office wrote in a Facebook post. "He has a criminal history which includes a previous DUI, as well as aggravated battery, drug possession, disorderly conduct, resisting, and hit & run."